An introduction of National Education Policy 2020 by Prime Minister Shri  Narendra Modi is a boon which will help in building a New India said Shri Subhash Shirodkar Minister for Water Resource Department and Chairman of Task Force Committee for school education. He was speaking as the chief Guest for “Janbhagidari” Event organized by Directorate of Education on Theme Ensuring Foundation Literacy and numeracy especially in the context of blended learning in the city today.

Teacher and parents involvement will play major role in implementation of NEP 2020 from this academic year which includes foundation course for nursery, Lower, Upper KG he added. He further said child should be our target and one should aim towards making child versatile to make them achieve success in life.

Shri Prasad Lolayekar, Secretary to Education IAS addressing as a key note Speaker said Ministry of Education in partnership with all States & UTs is holding Janbhagidari events throughout the country to create awareness & generate a sense of pride among various stakeholders like students, teachers, parents & community as a whole, about G-20, National Education Policy & Foundation Literacy and numeracy. Speaking further he said brain development is most rapid in three to eight years of a child’s life and hence we need to stress on how we can teach them for overall growth of brain.NEP2020 focuses on Panch Kosha concept that includes Physical development (sharirik vikas), development of life energy (pranik vikas), emotional and mental development (manasik vikas), intellectual development (bauddhik vikas) and spiritual development (chaitsik vikas) of the child, he added. The state government is very serious about implementing NEP2020 and will systematically execute it and seek help and cooperation of the people he concluded.

Career guidance, exposure and career readiness programme will help to empower students with the tools and support they need, this program aspires to create a vibrant workforce that will drive economic growth and contributes to the overall development of students stated Chief Minister, Dr. Pramod Sawant addressing after handing over Laptops to 19 School Management’s under ICT programne from all over Goa at a function organized by the Directorate of Education at Secretariat Porvorim today.

Chief Minister said while aiming to create a new India, emphasise would be laid on providing career options and skill development etc. The coding and robotics which was implemented at STD 9th have proved successful as it ranked 4th position at the national level.

The Chief Minister further said that  this programme will  help enable youth to make informed well in advance about career choices and transitions ensuring  the students across all talukas are well-prepared to build sustainable careers which are in line with their aspirations and interests he reiterated. By providing laptops to the remaining 19 School Managements, Goa  has become the first state to extend this facility under ICT scheme to all schools in the country.  He hoped that all school managements and teachers will cooperate with the Government to fulfil its vision towards education.

The Founder of Antarang and Anushri Alva, CEO of Adhyayan Foundation Smt Priya Agrawal while speaking thanked the Goa government for their vision, commitment & support to ensure all their students have access to high quality career guidance and exposure to emerging career streams.

Smt. Agarwal further also said that they are happy to partner with them in this pioneering initiative. This collaboration signifies our shared commitment to build career aspirations and empower youth and create pathways for their success. Through this partnership, we aim to unlock the full potential of all high school students in Goa, guiding them towards fulfilling careers of their choice and a future filled with promise” she added

The Chief Minister also launched  Actizens Club Programme in Government aided High Schools by Desh Apnayen Sahayog foundation. ACTiZENS’ Club Program has been designed to give each student every opportunity not just to ‘obtain knowledge of the content’ but also to ‘acquire the 21st-century skills and ‘apply’ the same through active participation to demonstrate civic engagement in diverse settings such as school, home, community, nation, and the world at large. The Objectives of the programme is to improve civic awareness among students   To develop 21st century skills among students, encourage civic action and community engagement among students. Desh Apnayen develops the program, organises teachers’ training and provides support in the implementation of club activities.

The  activities under ACTiZEN club    programme wherein  Thematic calendar is designed for schools based on civics and citizenship themes like Democracy, Government, Active citizenship, Rights and duties, Constitution, Civic values like Justice, Equality, Integrity, interdependence etc.

The programme has been implemented in Goa from 2021-22, Desh Apnayen Sahayog foundation signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Directorate of Education to offer the ACTiZEN Club program to Class VII and VIII students of all 77 Government High Schools in Goa. On successful completion of pilot project, Desh Apnayen Sahayog foundation submitted the impact study report and programme is expanded to Classes VI to IX in all Government schools from the year 2022-23.In March 2023, Memorandum   of Understanding (MOU) was signed to initiate ACTiZEN club program in Class 6 in all Government aided Schools of Goa depending on the success of programme in 2023 – 24, the Programme will be extended to Classes VI to IX in 2024-25.

The Chief Minister inaugurated Fact Sheet – the brochure of Careers guidance of Antarang Foundation on the occasion.

The Goa State Blood Transfusion Council in collaboration with the Goa State AIDS Control Society celebrated World Blood Donor Day 2023 at SCERT, Main hall, Porvorim. This year’s theme, “Give Blood, Give Plasma, Share Life, Share Often,” emphasizes the significance of regular blood and plasma donations.

Shri  Arun Kumar Mishra, IAS, Secretary of Health, encouraged everyone to take the pledge to donate blood and motivate others to do the same, emphasizing that it can be a lifesaving act. He extended his congratulations to the organizers and donors for their significant contribution to the noble cause of donating blood and saving numerous lives.

Dr. Shruti Bhandare, Junior Pathologist at North District Hospital delivered a comprehensive keynote address, providing essential information related to blood donation. Her insightful speech highlighted the importance of donating blood and the benefits it offers to both the donors and the recipients.

Dr. Pritam Naik, STD, Chief Medical Officer at the Directorate of Health Services, expressed that donating blood is an achievement in itself and brings multiple health benefits to the donor. She emphasized that one of the advantages of donating blood is the mini health checkup. Dr. Naik encouraged everyone to become a hero by becoming a regular blood donor.

Dr. Geeta Kakodkar, Director, Directorate of Health Services, shed light on the importance of voluntary blood donation and shared incidents and experiences that highlighted how voluntary blood donation has positively impacted the lives of those in need. Dr. Kakodkar stressed the need to increase voluntary blood donation in the community.

The event also witnessed organizers and donors sharing their personal experiences with blood donation.

In recognition of their outstanding efforts in organizing blood donation camps and inspiring people to donate blood, 43 organizers were felicitated by the esteemed dignitaries present at the event.